Question about WLBXR shells.

[DMTJAGER]

I have a one piece rifle rest I modified to hold a 25lb bag of #7.5 bird shot that I use as a recoil mitigating rest for my harshest of recoiling rifles' my 12ga 3.5" turkey guns being prime examples.
I recently experienced some rather odd patterns shooting 12ga 3.5" 2oz of #5 shot I do not recall ever previously experiencing and I have test fired well over 150 WLBXR shells about 80% were 3.5" the rest a combination of 3" and 2.75" shells.

By odd I men odd shaped more like a 75% crescent instead of the usual cloud like pattern. I began to suspect that the weight of the rest I would estimate at 31 to 32 total pounds was redirecting the recoil back into the gun and resulting in prematurely causing the polymer incasing the shot into shattering prior to the shot reaching the choke resulting in the odd patterns I was getting. 

I apologize for not taking any pictures of the odd patterns but I forgot to think of it until AFTER I fired a shot with the last odd pattern still on the backing under the newest pattern sheet I shot.
I found this quite odd and perplexing as I have used this rest many many previous times shooting the WLBXR shells with no issues whatsoever.

I stopped immediately using the rest and did the rest of my shooting without the rest as I don't have enough shells to waist them as there are at present no places that have 12ga 3.5" WLBXR shells in 2oz of #5 shot available for sale I am aware of.

I didn't experience any more of the same odd patterns but I also didn't have the shells to use to confirm it was my rest and not just a couple of incorrectly loaded shells.

Thoughts?

[ChesterCopperpot]

LongBeards are the most inconsistent shells I've ever fired. They're either absolutely exceptional or absolutely piss poor. I used them for years and then I had a bad box ruin two great hunts before I realized what was happening. I can probably track down that old thread to show you the photos of what I mean but whereas most will shoot a softball size pattern at 20yds, these were greater than a beach ball with zero consistency. At 30yds there was no pattern left. At that moment I quit shooting them and have never turned back. I think it's likely a resin issue, but I just refuse to risk it. The fact you've patterned off that rest before with zero issues tells me it's not the rest. It's likely the shells. And that doesn't surprise me at all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ChesterCopperpot]

Here were two 20yd shots, same gun, same choke, same shells, different boxes. The whole bad box shot like that.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BandedSpur]

I agree with Chester. LBs are too inconsistent. Until the problem patterns started showing up last year, I swore that these were the best lead shells ever made. I never shot them at turkeys since I have been shooting TSS exclusively since 2009, but I did help my buddy patterning them in his Benelli SBE. He went from consistently putting 150s/10" @ 40 with 3" 5s to patterns that would struggle to kill one at 40. At that point, I started loading TSS for him.

[Tom007]

I had one open on the end in the box, some shot came out. I looked in and noticed that wad filler looked like crystallized plastic. It seemed to be falling apart. I am wondering if when these shells get older, that plastic buffering may be breaking down/falling apart leading to these inconsistencies? It seemed like the first few years  of these shells on the market, they were great. Could age be the thing? Just a thought...

[DMTJAGER]

Great thanks for the replies.
I just finished last Saturday shooting 26 WLBXR 2oz of #5 shells. Other than the two odd patters the remaining 24 shells performed well. I shot at 25, 35, 45 and 55 yards.

I was doing my all pattern testing at minimum of 45 yards not 40 because my 40 yard patterns with WLBXR shells have always been so exceptional I felt patterning at longer ranges was necessary to yield the best data.
For all intents and purposes from all yardages at 45 and under the patterns I got were literally 100% kill if the Tom was anywhere within the 10" center of the pattern, actually would have been extreme overkill in terms of pattern density. 

In both my 870 ESM and Benelli SN shooting 3.5" WLBXR with 2oz of #5 shot the patterns didn't show a significant measurable decrease in terms of shot numbers in a 10" circle until 45 yards.
At 45 yards I was averaging 120 #5 shot in a 10" circle and 16 pellets in the 2.5" blackened circle I use as a aiming point and a representation of a Tom's head. Conversely I was averaging 180+ pellets in a 10" circle at 40 yards.

Unfortunately it is to close to my first turkey hunt of the year to make the switch to TSS as I did get one box each of #7 and #9 TSS in a trade and have acquiered chokes with a larger ID in the .670-.680 ID that those here who are experienced with TSS have suggested TSS works better with a more open less constrictive choke.

Some time early next week weather permitting I am going to give the #7 and #9 TSS a try with the more open chokes. I also have some older Remington #5 HTL shells as well as some Federal HTL shells in #7 I plan on trying.

Again thanks for the reply's.

[Tom007]

Great info, good luck with your season.....